# Love Me As If There Were No Tomorrow Chapter 15

Author: STRONG
Tags: Fallout, Female, Guns, Human, M/F, Male, Snekdog, Story Progression, Violence

Chapter 15 and the end of volume one!

Chapter 15: weightless 

\>Water gently slaps the side of the boat Ray is piloting as you check and double check and triple check your Gear, ensuring it's clean and ready.

\>"You're sure she's alive?" you ask again as you look to Ray, who rolls his eyes in annoyance at you asking the same question at least 4 times in the last hour.

\>"Yes, she's alive, they need her alive for her venom, like I said before, they need her to keep producing it so they can smoke it, plus you heard that centurion" he answers for the 4th time, rolling his eyes in annoyance

\>You nod but those words don't give you any real kind of comfort.

\>How were those legion bastards getting her venom out of her?

\>She wasn't biting at them that's for sure, if she was a biter you would be dead.

\>You look at the bright green "11" on your arm where Gracie bit you to slow your heart so she could save your life.

\>flashes of a memories flicker in your mind as you stare at the makeshift tattoo.

\>A ragged snekdog playing dead as you looked for something to eat in broc flower cave.

\>Gracie turning herself into a pirate as she held a rifle scope too close.

\>Her turning invisible to try to steal from Ray.

\>Stealing food from the NCR, her heat in vault 11, meeting her sister, going to the sierra madre

\>The tears after almost smelling out her sister.

\>Nearly dying for her.

\>Gracie declaring you were her mate.

\>Every hug, every snuggle, every time you felt for her was dregged up.

\>Those memories weigh on your mind.

\>"We're almost there" comes Ray's quiet rumble, shaking you from your introspection.

\>You glance at the giant of a man who was steering the boat with utmost confidence.

\>"Huh? You know the way to the legion camp just like that? Don't need a map?" you ask, trying to lead him into explaining.

\>"I know the way" he answers simply, glancing at you for the barest of moments before looking back up to the horizon and pointing.

\>Annoyed with his lack of answers; you Grab your Gobi scout rifle and peer down the scope in the direction he pointed.

\>To your surprise, you see what looks like a wooden gate next to a dock, two lonely guards wearing ragtag legionary armor stand on either side of it.

\>"How did-?" you start to ask only to have Ray quickly cut you off

\>"Dealt with them before, warned them then, no more warnings"

\>You nod at that information and sight your rifle on the sentries.

\>"Easy pickings" you think to yourself as you try to align the sights of the rifle only to find it blurry.

\>You curse to yourself and pull off your helmet, trying to focus on the guard despite your missing eye.

\>For a long moment, you try to focus your vision through the scope but are unable to really get a good sight picture.

\>"Can you hit them?" you ask raising the sniper rifle in annoyance so Ray can see it.

\>"Hard to aim right ever since I got this" He answers stiffly, waving the hook at you.

\>"Use my shoulder, there are only two guards" you reply, handing over the long rifle to him.

\>You feel the cold steel barrel of the gun rest on your right shoulder shoulder as you plug your ear with the same hand.

\>"Hold your breath for 5"

\>You take a long breath and hold it as 2 separate shots ring out, so close together you're surprised if he even hit anything.

\>As you shake your head from the gentle ringing in your ear as Ray shoves a half a binocular into your hand with his hook.

\>"Look" he rasps as you grab the now monocular from him and stare down it with your good eye.

\>Both guards are slumped over; both look like they never knew what hit them.

\>For anyone else you might have been shocked at the efficiency, but you had seen how Ray worked dealing with the Fiends.

\>This only cements the thought in your mind he was the right man to call for this.

\>"Nice shooting" you say, staring at the slumped bodies.

\>"Used to snipe better before the hook, they wouldn't have their heads anymore if I still had my hand" Ray grunts without any bravado.

\>You take a long look at him, expecting him to back up a boast like that, only for him to frown slightly at the hook.

\>Your mind races, thinking of it.

\>He hit 2 targets, barely aiming on a moving boat, yet he was sure he could've done headshots before.

\>Good thing he's on your side you guess.

\>The boat skips across the water faster now, Ray goosing the small engine along to take advantage of the opening you both made.

\>"Ready?" Ray asks as he pilots the boat near the dock.

\>"I'm rea-" you start to answer as you pull your helmet back on and look back to Ray.

\>for a moment you're struck dumb at the sight of him.

\>Ray is in a starters position for running, it would look silly if he didn't look so deadly.

\>Through his coat you can see coiled tight muscle like a steel springs ready to snap.

\>In that moment, he doesn't look like a human, but an approximation of a human made only of muscle and metal and bone.

\>His long coat was stretched tight, his defining hat gently set in the boat as though it was his most prized possession.

\>You're nearly thrown off your feet as the boat hits the shore and before you can recognize it, Ray is gone in a blur.

\>That is "nearly"; you respond a second behind Ray, launching yourself after him even though he is much faster than you.

\>Maybe it was knowing you had a powerful ally covering your back, maybe it was your bloodlust and anger that the legion had dared take your mate.

\>There is blind confidence, the knowledge nothing here could stop you or Ray.

\>And the words told to you before you left Nellis.

\>"War is in your blood"

\>Your mind rewinds to being in vault 11, You and Gracie wading through the bones of hundreds of dead people.

\>The connection you had fought to hold with her, the fear she would throw you aside like the boomers did.

\>Only for that fear to be her afraid to connect to you too early, with her at the time unexplained heat.

\>If Gracie had come onto you then, would you react the way you did now?

\>To be honest, you aren't sure, but now was different.

\>The memories weigh you down as you surge forwards.

\>Another flash in your memory as your shotguns muzzle flashes, pulverizing an oncoming attacker.

\>Gracie, playing dead after a legion attack and letting you think she got hit by a stray round.

\>Ray coming at you "Slavers Ain't friends little lady"

\>In the absolute confusion a few men challenge you; all of them wearing ill fitting sports gear while throwing badly made spears while screaming "retribution!"

\>The spears hit your armor, and it, in contrast to the rest of the Seirra Madre is built solid; they hit you and simply bounce off, leaving small nicks in the armor.

\>All of the legionaries are reduced little more than torn up corpses as your coin filled shells tear through them.

\>With a calculated throw, you toss a few depleted power cores into the center of a group of tents and confused men, then calmly shoot one to cause a wave of nuclear devastation.

\>Another flash of memory; Gracie playing dead with you, Amber, and Pip as you opened the way to the Sierra Madre with a similar explosion.

\>The screams and carnage are nothing as you and Ray tear through the legion camp; but for a single moment you stop and watch as Ray moves through the legionnaires, a whirling dervish of death.

\>His hook opens throats to air while somehow diverting thrown spears at other legionaries, his shotgun blasting precisely to cause the most destruction.

\>You feel a small sense pride as a shower of coins rings out of the end of his worn lever action shotgun like a symphony of bells.

\>Pandemonium means "the place of all demons" or in more modern terms, a Chaotic situation.

\>Together with Ray, You were causing in Pandemonium with a capital "P" as you both tear through the people that stole Gracie away.

\>In an odd, clinical, set apart of your mind you notice these legionnaires aren't really good at ranged combat.

\>For starters almost none of these ones are using firearms and the ones that have guns seem to have no idea how to use them.

\>They don't use cover opting to instead simply ran at you; all the while not aiming down the sights.

\>Regardless, you stop for a moment to toss a plasma grenade then dive behind a rocky outcropping.

\>There is no down time in combat, but in the moment behind cover you reload your riot shotgun with 12 new shells, ready to cause more carnage.

\>You break cover after a few bullets hit the dirt around you, kicking up small puffs of dust.

\>It only takes you a moment to observe what's going on.

\>In the chaos many legionnaires simply ran away, not bothering to see that only 2 men had attacked their encampment, sounding like an army.

\>The rest are having issues with the now thick smoke caused my your grenades and fusion cell detonation.

\>You're torn from your introspection as Ray Shouts "Boomer!" as he tosses something to you.

\>With your right hand you fire a round of coins into the chest of a legionnaire, while with your left hand you snatch the flung object out of the air.

\>It only takes a moment for you to realize its his lever action shotgun.

\>His empty lever action shotgun.

\>"Ray! 11 shells!" You call out, throwing your riot shotgun to him.

\>He catches it deftly with his hook, flipping it with a flourish then turns a group of approaching legionnaires into nothing more than shredded meat and ketchup.

\>You kneel and quickly start Loading shells into his gun, 5 shells, then a quick lever cock with one more shell to top it off.

\>Honestly, you had wondered how he reloaded it with his hook.

\>A Shotgun blast goes off in the direction of Ray and you hear a thud on your blind side.

\>You turn to see a dying man writhing in pain.

\>"Still getting used to the missing eye?" he calls out in a conversational tone, like we was discussing the weather.

\>"Yea first time in real combat since I lost it" you answer sourly but trying to keep the same tone, racking the lever on his shotgun. 

\>"Yea I know what you mean, took me a bit to get used to the hook" he laments as you fire a slug round into the throat of a man charging with a busted power fist.

\>"How'd that happen anyway?" you ask, finding it odd and somewhat normal for Ray to be the most talkative on the battlefield.

\>For a moment there is a lull in battle as the remaining members of the legion attempt to regroup.

\>You look at him as he makes a wide slash with the metal limb, cutting the men charging him down.

\>"Catch" he says, tossing you your gun, you casually toss his back. 

\>"Lost my hand trying to fist a robobrain" he japes with a boyish smile, waving the limb at you "She said she had more biological parts than just the brain"

\>You choke on your laughter and nearly drop your gun mid reload, not wanting to offend him if that really was how he lost his hand.

\>"R-really?" you managed to cough out, trying to stay stoic and serious.

\>"No" he responds flatly "Incoming" he says in the same flat voice, motioning to his left with a nod of his chin.

\>You turn and see what looks like the highest ranking or the legion members there.

\>Shiny metal and feathers decorate their armor.

\>But hell, they are still using fireaxes and swords made of scrap.

\>the sound of coins hitting metal echoes through the air, slugs and buckshot cut them down as you and Ray unload your shotguns.

\>Seriously, its like shooting fish in a barrel, the ones in front died first, tripping up those coming behind them.

\>You almost feel insulted, they didn't try to flank you or anything.

\>Finally the last one falls, leaving a pile of dead and dying.

\>Ray stalks over to the pile of bodies and moaning men, the last remnant trying to stop yours and his stampede.

\>You follow him, calmly reloading you gun as you stalk calmly behind the larger man.

\>With his hook he fishes (ahah puns) out one of the least injured men, one that seems to only have a few leg injuries.

\>"I ask, You answer" he rasps out menacingly, shaking the man like he was just a leaf.

\>"Where is the oracle?!" 

\>"I won't say, she belongs to the visage of Nero!" the man gasps out, clearly in pain and weakly trying to escape Rays grasp.

\>Hm? Visage of Nero? Weren't you dealing with Legate Nero? Doesn't matter, they have Gracie regardless.

\>"Oh don't you worry about that, we've bought her" you say, calmly picking up a blood covered legion coin from the ground and pressing it against his chest armor.

\>It sticks a bit and slides down, leaving a blood smear.

\>The mans face pales, as realization dawns on his face at what had been used to kill hiss fellow soldiers.

\>Or maybe from blood loss.

\>Eh whatever works.

\>"I-I die with honor"

\>Ray positions his shotguns barrel against the now trembling mans thigh

\>"Yet you will perish all the same, long and slow while we leave you and find the oracle regardless"

\>"Tell us and you may live to fight another day" You say as you casually flip a large bloodied coin, letting the blood on it flick onto the poor prisoners face.

\>You see the will to live with supposed duty war in his eyes.

\>"I'll count to 3, where is the oracle" Ray grunts.

\>"Three"

\>"Two"

\>"On-"

\>"OK! Ok...She is being held in the visages tent" The defeated man says, motioning to a larger than average tent surrounded by a few smaller ones.

\>"Good" Ray rumbles, then brutally bashes the man across the face with the butt of his shotgun, knocking him out.

\>"Hm, I woulda kept him awake in case he lied" you say as you start walking towards the indicated tent.

\>"He wasn't lying, I got a good eye for that kinda stuff" Ray responds, leaning his gun on his shoulder negligently. 

\>You simply nod at him and observe the legion camp.

\>Tents are steadily catching fire from the grenades and fusion cores you detonated, a few are already smoking ruins.

\>"I thought there would be more than this" you remark, indicating to a few bodies on the ground.

\>"Most fled as soon as the shooting started, and the explosions; they probably thought a whole army was attacking them off guard with all the noise we made" Ray responds, casually flipping his shotgun on his hook.

\>You nod as you watch another tent collapse while engulfed in flames.

\>"Makes sense, we should get out of here before they reform and counter attack" you supply as you grab the tent flap and pull it open for Ray.

\>He grunts in reply then slides in, quiet as a serpent.

\>You follow, letting the heavy canvas of the tent shut behind you.

\>for a moment, you're transfixed at the inside of the tent, and you feel Ray is too.

\>Decadence, at least it is compared to the rest of the camp.

\>While the rest of the camp has been eating scavenged scraps and plants, their "leader" has been eating steak.

\>Instead of a bedroll he has a 4 poster bed with a thick plush mattress.

\>While his soldiers died defending him, he cowered.

\>You and ray found the so called "visage of Nero" trembling and wide eyed, a gilded knife held against Gracie's neck.

\>Not even her throat, he's trembling too much to keep it level as he holds her like a shield between you and her.

\>The "visage of Nero" isn't a bad looking guy; he has a full 6 pack and bulging muscles but you're able to see its all for show.

\>Gracie is doing what she always does, playing dead and being absolute dead weight.

\>"B-b-begone fiends! the legion has n-n-no quarrels with y-you" he manages to get out, staring from you to Ray trying to figure out which would be better to talk to.

\>All the while he struggles to hold Gracie's dead weight up.

\>He seems to focus on you for a moment, you can't blame him after all Ray is a 7 foot something hook handed giant covered in blood, while you look extremely generic with your helmet covering your scars.

\>You feel the anger in you ignite as you try to surge forwards towards him, Ray barely able to hold you back.

\>"NO QUARREL? GIMME BACK GRACIE AND I'LL KILL YOU QUICKLY" you scream surging forwards only for Ray to hold you back with both arms, even then you drag him forwards several feet.

\>Your reaction might be 0 to 100, but this is your mate, the woman you decided to make yours.

\>And they stole her.

\>But as much as you fight Ray's grip you can't escape it.

\>It feels like he's done this before.

\>The whatever of Nero recoils at your sudden outburst, trying to get away while still trapped in the tent.

\>Ray, for all his calmness, simply grunts.

\>"Rosa, I know you're there, kill the visage"

\>You pause your struggle for a moment, looking at Ray, then at the Visage.

\>He looks around, wide eyed and obviously terrified.

\>"You! W-who are you talking to!?" he cries, pointing the knife at Ray; letting Gracie slip a bit from his grip

\>Then a chunk of meat simply disappears from his throat.

\>The man looks surprised for all of a a second, then drops Gracie and his knife; falling to his knees as blood pours out of the giant hole in his neck as he ties feebly to stop the bleeding.

\>You hear a disgusted "ptoo" sound and see a bloody chunk of what was once the Visage's throat as Ray releases you.

\>In a flash, you're at Gracie's side, gently rubbing her ears as you look her over for any injuries.

\>You pull off your helmet and cradle her in your arms gently.

\>"Gracie...Gracie wake up its me, its Boomer" 

\>Gracie's eyes snap open and focus on you.

\>"Anon! you're here! I knew you would come for me!" She cries happily, flinging her arms around you and burying her face into your chest.

\>"I knew it, I just knew you would save me" She cries softly as you cradle her and pull her closer.

\>"Nothing would stop me" you respond, gently kissing her forehead.

\>It feels like a weight has been lifted from your hear as you hold your silly snekdog close.

\>You and Gracie sit together like that for a little while, arms around each other before you hear a quiet "Ahem"

\>Ray, for his part has given you and Gracie space for your reunion, but he's looking in one direction with a small frown.

\>"I hate to sour this, but we gotta go, the legion has regrouped"

\>Reluctantly, you get to your feet and help Gracie up, nodding at him.

\>You don't know how he knows they've regrouped but you trust he's right.

\>"Right sorry, time for that later, lets get out of here but uh...Who's Rosa?" you ask as you shove your helmet back on.

\>Ray simply points, directing your attention to a pitcher of water that is now floating and pouring itself.

\>A small nightstalker appears, pouring water into her mouth and rinsing blood out of her sharp teeth.

\>Seeing how Gracie made a habit of eating things with her long tongue, you had almost forgotten that Nightstalkers are half canine.

\>It looks like Rosa bit the visages throat out while invisible, a concerning thought since with Gracie and Amber you could somewhat see where they were.

\>You eye "Rosa" as she washes her mouth out and look to Ray.

\>"One of Gracie's sister's, bred specifically for stealth" he explains as if that were the most evident thing in the world.

\>You're able to register that only slightly before Gracie full on tackles the smaller Snekdog in a full body hug.

\>"SISTER! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!" She cries as she pins the other snekdog in a hug that Rosa tries to fight her way out of.

\>Ray grumbles to himself as he walks over to the snekdog pile and pulls Gracie off.

\>"Hey I-" Gracie starts, trying to grab Rosa again. 

\>"Not NOW" Ray Grunts loudly, tossing Gracie into your arms like she weighed nothing.

\>"We gotta do reunions later" you say, setting Gracie onto her feet.

\>At this point you're able to really see Rosa for who she is.

\>She's small for starters, probably only about 4 foot tall and covered in scars from her face to her legs; it even looks like a chunk of her tail is missing.

\>She's also wearing Ray's "Mad Cunt" hat, which he takes from her gently and places on his head with an annoyed sigh. 

\>"I thought I told you to wait at home" Ray grumbles to the small Nightstalker.

\>"I missssed ssisster and wanted to help find her" Rosa responds with a heavy lisp, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she speaks.

\>"This was a rescue mission, either one of us could have hurt you" Rays grumbles, exasperated.

\>"Nothing too bad, besssides! I'm fine!" Rosa retorts as she jumps into Ray's arms.

\>She gives him a gentle kiss on his nose and gives a smile you recognize. 

\>"I knew you wouldn't let me get hurt anyway" She hisses happily, lounging in Ray's arms.

\>"Uh huh? and the fusion cores Boomer set off? What was your plan for that?" Ray asks, both annoyed and concerned; motioning out of the now burning tent to the craters outside.

\>The Small Nightstalker fidgets awkwardly, refusing to look Ray in the eyes.

\>"I jusssst...Uh...dodged?" She says uneasily as she looked at the craters in the ground.

\>Ray just sighed, shaking his head in slight annoyance.

\>"Time to get out of here" He says with finality.

\>You nod sharply, and extend a hand to Gracie; who to you disappointment doesn't take it automatically.

\>She instead goes to the visages body and rifles around, clearly looking for something.

\>After a moment, she holdes up his gilded knife, a beautiful piece of steel with gold inlaid to it.

\>"HAH Sucker! my shiny now!" She yells, kicking the body and then rushing over to you.

\>She now grabs your hand and you nod to Ray, then take the lead; one hand holding you gun and the other grasping Gracie's paw.

\>As you lead your little group. You notice Gracie's head in on a swivel, looking around nervously.

\>"What's wrong Love?" you ask as you guide everyone back to the dock.

\>"I...I wasn't allowed out of the tent... When I tried to escape" She murmurs softly, then slides the sleeve of her leather armor up.

\>On her upper arm there are what looks like tally marks etched into her skin, dried blood matting the fur around the area.

\>The marks are about 3 inches long, not very deep but they would be painful enough.

\>12 gashes down her arm, the only flaw on her fur, craved in because she kept trying to escape.

\>Twelve cuts in 7 days

\>You stare blankly at the wounds, your mind running fast.

\>If you had come faster, maybe not waited for Ray.

\>Could you have done it alone? could you have spared Gracie her pai-.

\>A Furred paw gently bonks your head causing you to start softly in stare into Gracie's mismatched eyes.

\>"I Know that look dummy, like after I became a pirate when shooting a scoped rifle the first time!" Gracie snorts softly, as she climbs into the boat. 

\>"I should have been faster" you retort, climbing in faster her.

\>Ray silently sits in the boat, taking control of the motor while Rosa simply climbs into his lap.

\>Gracie Lays a paw on your cheek and forces you to look her in the eyes as the boat pulls away from the dock

\>"If you came alone you would've died, HELL you came with only ONE other person! I thought you would get all of the brotherhood or those Rangers who owe you! Instead you come with one other person! Only you would be that crazy!" 

\>You softly take her paw and smile.

\>"Looks like crazy is my new best friend" You grunt, nodding to Ray.

\>He gives a rare smile as Rosa mumbles incoherently in what sounds like Spanish based on your lessons from Nellis.

\>Ray just stares where to direct the boat, barely reacting to you or Rosa.

\>You aren't sure he's actually listening to her until you hear a very quiet "Si" barely over the sound of the waves splashing.

\>Rosa stops for a moment glaring, them proceeds to start speaking even faster, which Ray only nods to occasionally.

\>Gracie snuggles up to you, the gashes in her arm airing out as the boat darts above the waves.

\>She'll always have a scar from them, but it will never make you love her less, just like yours don't make her love you less.

\>As you hold her close, it feel like a hole in your soul fills.

\>A fear you would never get to hold her again, a sadness that you failed her.

\>But now in your arms she feels weightless.

\>And you swear she'll never be hurt again.

End Volume 1

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/q1x8OWy1
Part of the series Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow
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